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[xdot]

Hi all,

I have some questions regarding the boundary of using existing artwork as inspiration and when it becomes violating copyright. The artwork i am interested in is website interfaces e.g. the navigation bar on this site.

If i were to simply copy and paste it into my own site then it is clearly breaching the copyright of this site. However would this still be the case if i were to trace it pixel by pixel on a program like photoshop? Furthermore would it be illegal to use the same design but different colours? What if i make the line thicknesses different?

Is there a specific point where inspiration becomes copying? Or is it just a judgement call?

Thank you in advance,
Ben

[CRGreathouse]

Probably all of your examples would be considered copyright infringement.  I would tread cautiously.

[JSonnabend]

Ben, it is a judgment call to a large degree, but everything you mentioned is essentially copying, not "being inspired by".  Whether or not the interface you seek to copy is protected by copyright is another question worth asking, but often a difficult one to answer.

- Jeff